Old Radio mods

KustomKreeps

hey ya

Thinking about keeping the old radio - or at least part of it.

What im thinking is either to simply add an Aux in to the old radio. thinking between old tuner and amp circuits.
Or taking it one steep further doing the above but then sending the signal back to the cars main stereo head units Aux and out to the cars main speaker system and bypassing the old under dash speaker.

So basically getting the old retro tube sound. I generally just bluetooth my tunes from my phone to car stereo but thought this could be fun even though I would need to plug in. Or I may have it always connected to the tablet I will have concealed in some custom dash bits im doing that will manage car tracking, air bags, maps, and what ever else.

Should be easy enough but thought before I go and do it I would see if anyone else here has done something similar.

Also confirming the 49 Supers radio was the DB48? have two manuals for it with wiring diagrams.

50C8DAN

Yep here is what I used, but unfortunately lose the tubes.  I have tubes in most of my others, but thought I would give this a try.

Rick did mine:
http://www.ricksradioconversions.com

Aurora is the tech company: http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Design/Automotive_Home.html

They do have Australian dealers: 

Australian Dealers

Nostalgic Wireless : (Eaglemont, VIC)  sales@nostalgicwireless.com.au  9499 2495

Vintage Radio & Electronics : (Greendale, NSW)  oldvalves@hotmail.com

MY409 : (Yandina, QLD)  omy409@hotmail.com  0407 409348

CCT Service : (Brisbane, QLD)  cjcurtis13@iprimus.com.au

Clockwork Customs : (Sydney, NSW)  clockworkcustoms@yahoo.com.au

KustomKreeps

naa that all seems to be converting the original radios to new. keeping the face plates and updating the guts so to speak. All very good and all but I haven't listened to the radio since i was like 10yrs old. The ones that add bluetooth are all right but I like the option of upgrading headunits etc to much to be tied into it,

On my Buick i have removed the old radio but kept the old knobs and buttons that all still move the radio  frequency indicator etc. I had an engine cut off wired to it for a bit so the car would only catch when it was at a certain position on the radio dial.

Not what im thinking about doing at all.
I will have a new head unit hidden away along with a 5 chanel amp and speakers. Being bluetooth it just automaticly connects as soon as power is added and controled from the phone or tablet.

What im thinking is taking the factory radio. braking the circuit btween the tuner and amp. finding the volume part of the circuit whats pretty obvious and wireing in a Aux plug. this i can plug into a digital audio source like a phone, mp3 player, tablet etc.
In this setup the volume is controlled by the phone but the audio signal would pass through the old factory amp/and valves then out to the speakers to give that old valve radio sound.

Kinda a gimic for fun as most of the time I would be useing the main stereo. 

Im also thinking I could break the circuit again after the factory amp on the speaker conections and feed that back to the main steros headunits Aux input. thus unning it through my main sound system. 

You could think of it in this setup as a guitar FX pedal i guess. phone would be the guitar, factory radio the pedal then the headunit and main system the guitar amp and speakers.

Really it should be pretty simple looking at the old schematics.
Just thought I would post on here to see if anyone has done this with a 49 radio.

I still need to test to see if the old radio works. and if any of the old tubes i have will fix it if not. if it dosnt work then i will just use the knobs etc to activate other things.

dave11

KustomKreeps,

I have done what you are talking about. had a fellow from So Cal sold me an a device which allows you to use an input device and play pre recorded tunes through the am tube radio, or you shift the toggle the toggle switch and use the am radio station through the vehicle antenna.

The unit works but the sound quality sucks, lots of static and very little volume. I called the supplier who said it was likely not the correct frequency?? said he found the plans for the device on the internet and hadn't actually tried one ?!

Anyway if you find one that works let me know as it is a great idea.

Dave Eddie

Jon B

Aren't we talking about Redi-Rad?  https://rediscoveradio.com/

parkerm

Doc,
I'm in agreement with you. Nothing but bad news on AM anymore. I love listening to the radio in my car. Satellite does get expensive especially if you are now on limited retirement income.
I am considering Redi-Rad or one of the companies that will replace the guts of the radio with modern equipment.
I find this change in the importance of radio disquieting. I know that styles of music change as time passes, but I can usually find something I can listen to. I wish it it was simpler to resolve the issue.
my 2 cents

KustomKreeps

yip Redi Rad is pretty  much what im aiming at doing but in a well thought out and nice packaging.
May go that option but the way i had planed to do it would only cost a few dollars just for the head phone jack and a bit of wire. maybe a few resistors.

dave11

If you are thinking of a Redi Rad system I would make an effort to hear one first

50C8DAN

OK here is my new/old radio converted.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGRmY494pxY&feature=youtu.be

Glowplug

Kooooool Dan!  I will be talking to Rick about doing a radio too.